


That's What Best Mates Do

by ifIsayIneedyouxx



Category: Larry Stylinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, OT5 Friendship, Other, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 16:16:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2074713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifIsayIneedyouxx/pseuds/ifIsayIneedyouxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis falls ill from their tiring schedule, but management won’t give him any days off and then proceed to force him to a Modest employee party. The other four get drunk, in fact, Louis encourages them to have a good time. He soon regrets that decision once he realizes that he’ll have to play the drunk police for the rest of the night. Or until he passes out from exhaustion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's What Best Mates Do

Louis hated potholes, he also hated the tires that seemed to gravitate towards every bloody pothole on the road making the car rattle and his insides churn.

The van was stuffy and the seats were uncomfortable, his throat felt thick and cottony whenever he tried to swallow. He was in no mood to be a pop star today. But he had to fall in line according to their schedule and a handful of people with a pinch more power than he had, unfortunately.

Somewhere in the fine print of their bands contract, he’d missed the little detail about not getting sick days while on the job. Which was understandable, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get upset about it. So, he was left with no plan of escape from today. Stuck with feeling disgusting and pathetically needy in a whirlwind of interviews, talk shows, two photo shoots, and a meeting.

He was almost positive that their next destination was the hotel. Christ, he couldn’t even remember what they had just finished with. So for all he knew they could be going to the Queens birthday party.

His head was pounding and he could hardly function correctly since yesterday, when he felt the oncoming storm of sickness beginning to invade his blood stream. And with their brutal schedule he wasn’t exactly given any leeway to play doctor. Resulting in his immune system failing to protect him, and a virus mercilessly fucking him over.

The boys knew he was sick, they didn’t know how bad it had gotten within the last seven hours since their day started, but they still knew. Louis had grown quieter and quieter as the day progressed, slowly shrinking into the wall flower that he rarely ever was. The boys being far too busy to recognize his change in attitude. Which didn’t really bother him all that much.

What bothered him was how tight his clothes were beginning to feel. Making his skin get feverish and a light sheen of sweat bead underneath his fringe.

Groaning and squeezing his eyes shut even more, Louis turned his head slightly on Zayn’s thigh. Trying to get comfortable so he could pass out. Harry offered up his leg for Louis’ search for relief, but Harry had bony, giraffe legs. Legs that were only good for getting tangled up in a good cuddle, not for a raging migraine and a leaky faucet of a face.

Clawing his clammy fingers into his stomach, Louis hoped Zayn or Liam, or even Niall would notice that he wasn’t up for the loud jokes and cackles of laughter that were echoing around the walls of the van, and around the inside of his head.

In seconds he felt a hand brush back his fringe, allowing the cool air from the AC to help ease the fire that was breaking out over his body. A fire that quickly turned to chills, making his bones ache. It was like his body temperature was going haywire, unsure if it was cold or hot.

“Shut up.” Good lord he sounded like a chain smoker, not exactly a confidence booster. He already felt like shit, now he sounded like it too, fantastic, just brilliant.

“Niall, tone it down on the jokes yeah?” Zayn was a godsend for being Louis’ voice, a fucking godsend.

“Aw Zayn, this is a really good one, swear it’ll make Haz piss himself.”

“Why would I want to piss myself?”

“Niall, just-”

Louis got the feeling that Zayn was making eyes at him, directing everyone’s attention over the backs of their seats to get them to take notice.

“Lou?” Harry’s voice was soft, the kind of soft that reminded him of how you talk to a wounded animal that you’re trying to nurse back to health.

After a brief moment of swallowing and trying to get his voice box to do it’s job properly, Louis let his eyes flutter open. His vision slowly getting clearer, revealing four very apologetic and concerned faces looking at him. It made him even more uncomfortable than his cotton mouth did.

“M’not some television program for your entertainment. I’m fi-” there’s the lung Louis was hoping to hack up. A cough chose to interrupt his entire speech about wanting a little less pity and a little more quiet. Curling up a little on his side, Louis winced as the coughing continued, tearing up his throat, cold tears falling down the sides of his face as he tried to get back to regularly breathing again.

“Shit, is he gonna be okay?”

“I-I’m right here Ni-Niall. I can hear you.”

A light chuckle came from Liam over the back of the seats. Even though he wasn’t trying to be funny, he was just trying to get his eyes to stop watering over. Zayn’s jeans were getting ruined and splotchy now, not that Zayn cared about that.

And yes, he was going to be okay, he just needed the van to get to their hotel soon. He wanted to crawl into bed in his boxers after a shot of NyQuil and black out with someones arms around him. Rubbing his back like his mum always did when he was sick. 

“Alright boys, night’s not over yet, five minutes and we’ll be pulling up to the party. This is your night off but just remember the paps are close. So if you have a drunken mistake tonight, then it’s not just you that has to deal with the consequences. You’ll be getting a phone call in the morning if Modest sees anything on the front page. You’ll also be getting a smack to the back of your numpty little heads if I see anything on the front page. There’s your warning.”

“Wait what?” Louis’ heart gave a jolt at the thought of not getting his wishes for a hotel bed granted. The fates were seriously against him and he wanted to flip them the bird because he was so done.

Out of everything Preston announced from the drivers seat, Louis was only able to pick out bits and pieces. His least favorite words being, “party,” and “not over yet.”

How was this a night off? They were still working, sure they were getting permission to drink and party, but they were still working.

“The party babes, for Radio One? We talked about it at breakfast.”

“No, Liam I guess I forgot.” Louis wanted to snap back but that took energy that he was running out of. And now he had to save what was left for a night of more promotional work and smiling. Fuck smiling, he hoped the lights were dark enough in the club to where he wouldn’t even have to try anymore.

“Louis? How you doin’ back there buddy?”

Louis knew Preston meant well, that he was only trying to be empathetic but it still didn’t help ease his panic. He didn’t want to be surrounded by loud, drunk people, that was the last thing he wanted. But everything he did want seemed to be ripped from his grasp every five seconds, so why did this surprise him.

“Lou, you don’t have to do this. It’s just a party, not like you’re going to be drinking anyways right?”

“Way to be the sensitive one Niall.”

“What? I was just saying tha-” There was a scuffle in the front seat as Liam and Harry tackled him to get him to stop talking in general.

-

He’d been given the option to bail almost two hours ago, now Louis seriously wished he’d taken it. Harry and Zayn promised to stay by his side for the entire night but that promise was broken the second his four best friends downed a round of shots. It was the bar that was his support system now, holding up all of his weight as he slumped over it. He stopped sitting up in his stool when his body stopped being under his control.

“Lewis, come dance with us you-you fun dryer upper.” Harry was tugging, more like trying to rip off, his shirt from behind. Nearly making his limp body fall backwards off his stool. But definitely making water from the glass he’d been about to drink from slosh down his front. At least he just got water on his shirt, not on his pants because he didn’t need that kind of embarrassment at the moment.

“You’re drunk Harold.” He turned around just so Harry would stop trying to take his shirt completely off.

Niall scoffed coming up from behind Harry then, equally if not more drunk than him.

“Harry challenged me, a true Irishman. S’not my fault he’s a bloody lightweight.”

“Ni, Lewis called me Harold. He’s mad at me. Never calls me Harold unless he’s mad. Lewis why are you mad at me baby? What’d I do?”

“I’m not mad, now fuck off please.”

He was mad, but in the state that Niall and Harry were in, anything that he said wouldn’t get through to them. And by the looks of Zayn and Liam stumbling towards him, oh joy, he had a feeling that he was going to be playing babysitter tonight.

Grunting because now Harry had wrapped his long arms around his neck, and was putting all his weight on him, Louis just patted Harry’s back. Looking to the smoky hazed ceiling of the club, cursing whoever was up there for this shit curve ball that was being thrown at him.

“Deejay Malik is here bitches, Harry get off Louis, lets do shots. Liam wants shots, Niall wants shots.”

“Shots erbody!” Liam’s voice cracked as he yelled, making Zayn and Niall laugh at his attempt to be cool. Louis could feel Harry’s warm breath ghosting over the sweat on his neck as he laughed along with the others.

“No, no that’s it. We are going home. We need to go home.”

His warning was unheard though, typical, because Zayn had somehow lined up three shots in a matter of seconds. And the three of them, minus Harry who was making no effort to get off of Louis’ lap, downed the vodka like it was water.

“Shit, you have got to be kidding me.”

“Guys, guys, guys, hey listen. Lewis is getting mad. My baby’s getting mad. Why are you mad?”

“God Haro-Harry. I am not mad, can we just go back to the hotel? I’ll get you guys pizza.” Louis wasn’t actually going to get them pizza but he needed some kind of incentive to get them to listen.

“Ooo pizza, and beer.” Niall shouted throwing an arm around Liam’s waist, the pair of them swaying back and forth fighting for support from the other. Too drunk to stand up on their own.

“Yes, beer. Sound good? Yes? Okay, all agreed. We’re going. Harry get off me now, please.” There would be no pizza and no beer, but hey, the lies were working and he was halfway to the door the more he agreed to their drunken ramblings of greasy food and more alcohol.

It was a bit of a struggle since it felt like all four of them were hanging off of him, attracted to the only sober one of the bunch. Luckily, calling a cab didn’t take much effort, but peeling Harry off was proving to be more difficult.

“In, get in the fucking-Liam! Get in the cab now, or I swear to god-”

“Shhh-shush! Lou you’re attracting paps.” Liam tripped over the curb, falling on top of the hood of the cab.

“Hey, careful of the car! Sir, if you can’t control your friend I will not drive you.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. Liam, in or I will leave you on the street to fend for yourself, you arse.”

“Okayy-uh, jeeze Mr. Angry.”

“For the last time I am not-ugh just please get in? Please.”

The ride to the hotel felt like forever, the cab meter ticking away the closer they got. Keeping Louis sane and giving him a small bit of strength to hang on to before he finally lost it.

Luckily Niall wasn’t in the mood to sing any Irish pub songs because Louis couldn’t handle anymore drunken antics. Their night was pretty much over, but Louis’ was just barely beginning. He gave all the cash he had on him to the driver, apologizing again for his friends being so idiotically careless.

Kicking the cab door open once they’d finally pulled up to the hotel. The entrance surprisingly free of fans and paparazzi, though he kind of wished for at least one stranger to help him. Not even a security guard, since Liam had so kindly given them the night off once they were dropped off at the party. Or as Louis wanted to call it, the gates of hell.

“Niall? Niall stop-Liam, control Niall. No don’t-put your pants back on-shit. Harry I need you to let go-Har-”

“Noooooo.”

Harry clung to his neck, whining like a five year old in his ear. And Louis watched in horror as Niall began to take a piss in the bushes lining the front of the hotel.

Louis could feel his throat protesting at the strain he was putting on it just to bark orders as loudly as he could. And his legs shaking with each step from all the weight Harry was putting on him.

“Holy crap, Niallerr’s watering the plants, and not in a good way. Someone get a picture. Louis get a picture.” Zayn hunched over in laughter, waving his arms around, his own phone in his hand.

“Hotel, all of you. Now!”

Liam and Zayn stopped laughing then, Niall pulled his boxers back up, his jeans still inappropriately low, and turned around, the three of them pouting at Louis’ anger. He was fuming, completely forgetting that his skin was burning with a fever, his breathing coming out ragged.

Dragging Harry along as all of them piled into the elevator, drawing some attention from a few people in the lobby. Probably breaking the button for their floor as he pressed that sacred number 11 as many times as humanly possible even though the door had already shut them inside.

“Lou?”

“What Harry?”

“I don’t feel good.”

“No. I don’t feel too great either, but you need to hold it Harry. Hold it in please, for me plea-”

And then Harry was throwing up on himself and on Louis’ shirt, bending over and getting sick again on the carpeted floor of the elevator, getting some on his Vans.

The smell making him want to gag as Harry heaved the alcohol in his system and his dinner onto the floor. “Awesome.” Hand holding tightly to Louis’ shoulder, looking up with spit on his chin and giant crocodile tears falling down his cheeks.

“Sorry Lou. I threw up.” Harry sniffled, clearly not enjoying the highs of being drunk anymore.

“You-yes, you definitely did Harry. It’s okay,” no it most certainly wasn’t okay, nothing about this was okay. But he wasn’t going to yell as the elevator doors opened to their floor. Niall, Liam, and Zayn tumbling out quickly, “that’s disgusting Harry,” covering their faces with their hands, running away from Harry and Louis. 

The second Louis got them all into their adjoined hotel room, Zayn decided it was the right time to run to the side bathroom. Missing the toilet completely and aiming for the bin right next to it. Falling to his knees on the tiled floor, groaning around each wave of sick that hit him.

Louis took a few minutes to himself, ignoring Zayn because he was going to be just fine, taking off his now ruined shirt. Tossing it in a corner where it would stay, never to be worn again.

Flicking on the switch, the walls of the room were bathed in a yellow glow, shadows cast on the walls as Liam and Niall both collapsed together on one bed. Nialls pants still at his knees from his little moment out front. A moment which Louis hoped wasn’t captured by security cameras, because the Sun would have a field day if they got a hold of that tape.

Harry was sat at the end of the other bed, still crying, his whole upper body rocking around in circles making the bed give a squeak with each round.

“Everything’s so spinny boo bear. I don’t like it.”

“I know buddy, just hold still.”

Gently, Louis unbuttoned Harrys vomit covered top, and tossed it in the corner with the other items of clothing that needed to be thrown away. Making quick work of taking off his boots, and skinny jeans, leaving Harry in just his Calvin Klein’s.

“Mmm, so sexy Lou.” Harry giggled, slurring his words a little.

Sighing, Louis pulled three bottles of water from the mini fridge. Setting two on the nightstand for whenever Liam and Niall decided to wake from their alcohol induced comas, and opening one for Harry.

“Here, I want to see you drink at least all of this. You’ll thank me later.”

Making sure Harry didn’t chug it, Louis half sat on the generic hotel desk across from him, watching as Harry missed his mouth, water dripping down the contours of his chest. The sparrows and butterfly tattoos covered in sweat from a night on the dance floor. A night that Louis didn’t get to enjoy in the slightest. And he still wasn’t enjoying it, slipping off his shoes and kicking them away. He’d have to buy a new pair, again. Vomit was not his idea of a cool shoe accessory.

Louis was feeling dizzy, shaking his head like it would stop his vision from blurring at the edges. Now that the boys were dropping like flies, he was beginning to lose what was left of his strength. Shoving off the desk, Louis walked over to peek in at Zayn who was snoring with his arms wrapped around the bin in a death grip.

“Lou…”

He knew that sound, it was the same tone of voice Harry used when they were in the elevator. And through his foggy mind, Louis quickly grabbed a towel and ran, throwing it on the floor at Harry’s feet just in time for him to get sick on it.

Harry already ruined one carpet, Louis wasn’t going to let him ruin two. And the hotel would never let them back if they saw the mess that could be, if Louis wasn’t quick enough to catch it.

Rubbing circles on Harry’s back, “that’s it love, just get it out, you’ll feel better in a minute. I promise, just get it all out.”

Harry drank way too much tonight, they called him a light weight for a reason. He wasn’t much of a drinker so the fact that he was crying wasn’t surprising. Harry hated getting sick, he did anything he could to prevent it. He was lucky Louis was there to coach him through it, even though he probably wouldn’t remember what happened in the morning.

Wrapping a tight grip around Harry’s waist, Louis lifted Harry to a standing position as best as he could and slowly made his way into the much better smelling adjoined room. Leaving the towel, turning off the single light, letting his friends sleep it off.

Once Harry was laying flat on a new bed, passed out, “thanks boo bear.” Louis began to feel it. The thing he’d been able to forget for about thirty minutes. But now it was becoming too strong to ignore.

Like getting hit by a car, his muscles aching, bones feeling like they had all been shattered into a million pieces. His skin catching fire, burning through all the layers of resolve he had left, sending chills through his spine making him shiver. Louis needed an Aspirin, he needed ten Aspirin and a blow to the head so he could black out like the rest of his band mates.

“Christ.”

The last thing Louis remembered was walking to the bathroom to splash cool water on his face. But he didn’t make it, his knees buckled as he fell to the floor getting rug burn on his chest.

All he could see was Harry’s feet dangling off from the edge of the bed, before they were replaced by static in his line of sight. Arms turning to goose flesh, thin lips cracking at the dehydration that came with being ill. His wish to be knocked out was granted, as exhaustion and sickness took over.

-

“It’s because we’re shit friends Liam.”

“We are not shit friends-”

“No Harry’s right Li, we shouldn’t have done this.”

“I feel terrible. He was on the floor, I mean, just look at him guys.”

“He’ll be okay Niall, we’re going to take care of him.”

Louis could hear strained whispers as he began to regain consciousness, not knowing how long he’d been out for. But he did know that if he was going to fall back asleep, the whispers were going to have to go away.

He wanted to roll over but his body felt too heavy to even lift a finger. And everything hurt, inside and out. His mouth felt like the Sahara but he didn’t know if he could even get any words out.

His throat felt like he’d swallowed cut glass the night before and now he was feeling the aftershock. And god it felt like he’d been trapped in a sauna and all the water had been sweated out of him, so now he was just stuck feeling hot and extremely uncomfortable.

“Guys, I think-”

“Louis? Baby, can you-are you awake?” 

Reluctantly he opened his eyes, grateful that someone had the common sense to not turn on a light or open the drapes. The sun coming in through the thick curtains provided enough for him to focus on his surroundings without wincing.

Harry was on the bed, laying very close to him, an elbow propped up on the pillow above Louis’ head, his fingers massaging his scalp gently. Zayn was knelt down by his head, Liam looming over him. And Niall was sitting on the edge by his feet. Their guilty faces making Louis want to squirm, or throw something at them to get them to stop.

“We’re so sorry Lou,” Zayn reached over wiping a cool towel across his forehead, and Louis sighed at how good it felt. Closing his eyes again, Zayn wiped at his bare chest and down one of his arms. He could fall asleep like this in seconds, if he didn’t have to stay awake so they could explain themselves to him further.

“S’fine. Feels nice.” Louis rasped out, knowing that he sounded awful and unintelligible. His lungs getting tight at the pain shooting through every nerve when he spoke. Coughing harshly, he gripped a hand onto Harry’s arm like he was trying to hold on, and keep from hacking any other vital organs up.

“He needs to sit up.”

Zayn and Harry helped pull him into a half sitting, half hunched position, as Niall passed a glass of water to Liam. Getting flustered and spilling half the glass on the comforter as he handed it off.

Niall was never good with things like this. It always scared him when one of his “brothers” were hurt, because he never knew what to do. So he’d just get even more upset at the fact that nothing was all sunshine and smiles like he wanted.

“Is he gonna be okay Li? You’re gonna be okay right?” Niall sounded like he was about to cry. Luckily Liam picked up on that, and gave the glass to Zayn before hugging Niall tightly in a silent answer.

“Don’t try to talk okay babes?” Zayn held the water to Louis’ lips, tipping it for him to drink. The water was lukewarm, but Louis didn’t care. He let it coat his aching throat, and soothe his dry tongue.

Sloshing the water around in his mouth before swallowing a second time. Scrunching up his face a little once it stopped feeling nice and the scratchiness in his throat started to reject it. Making him gag and turn his head away from the water and into Harry’s shoulder.

“Li? Can you go make a few calls? Get some hangover food, and maybe broth or something for Lou.”

“Not hungr-” Louis mumbled out against Harry’s skin, noticing that Harry failed to put on a shirt before taking care of him. But Zayn interrupted him, not taking that excuse in a million years.

“Shut it Lou, you’re eating something. Let Paul know we’ll be doing any and all radio interviews via phone today, none of us are leaving him alone. Louis don’t try to argue just deal with it. Liam? Go.”

Louis watched as Liam gave him a sheepish smile, patting his ankle through the bed sheets as he walked with a sniffling Niall back into the other room. Speaking soft words into his ear to make him feel better. “We’ll get you chips yeah? With ketchup, and a burger. You’d like that right Niall? He’ll be okay, I promise.”

Laying back down, Louis turned so he was facing Harry’s chest, their legs slotting together under the sheets. His body shivering involuntarily as a wave of chills ran through him, only to be replaced by a burning feeling again.

He could feel Zayn lift the covers and slide in behind him then. Pulling him back so he could lay flushed against him, the cool towel returning to his forehead as Zayn dabbed it gently at his temple and under his jaw.

“Scared us Lou, Harry found you this morning. We should’ve known that you weren’t doing well. We were selfish-”

“And stupid. I remember you getting us all back here from the party. You used all your energy, and only got worse. That’s our fault. M’so sorry baby, it was stupid. So stupid.”

“Tired.” Louis could only breathe out his words, and it was true. He was exhausted, and being sandwiched in between Harry and Zayn was making all his muscles relax into jelly.

“We’ll be here when you wake up. Just rest okay?” Zayn cooed, his fingers trailing up and down Louis’ arm.

“Love you Lou.” Harry kissed the top of Louis’ head, encouraging him to fall asleep. His eyelids becoming too heavy to keep open, letting sleep fog his mind. His breathing matching the rise and fall of Harry’s chest against the palm of his hand.

The knowledge of having four of the best, but completely unqualified “doctors,” that were going to care for him being the last thing to cross his mind. A soft smile at that thought played at his lips, before he snuggled into Harry and fell asleep to more sweet words and hummed lullabies.

Feeling better already.

**Author's Note:**

> Anon prompt from my Tumblr. xx


End file.
